In March of 2007 the local sports world was saddened to learn of the passing of an icon, Frank Finn, writer-editor-everyman of the Cape Cod Sports Report.

That same world was tinged with sadness again this week when it was learned that the paper had published its final issue.

A letter posted on the CCSR Web site (www.ccsportsreport.com) states that the publication “suffered irreparably from the toll of our latest economic crisis.” The paper was no longer able to afford the high costs of publishing and distribution.

Editor Sean Walsh could not be reached for comment by press time.

The Cape Cod Sports Report was the brainchild of Finn, a well-known and highly regarded sports writer from Osterville. Having written for both TheRegister and The Barnstable Patriot, Finn longed to do more regarding sports in his hometown of Barnstable. It was while working at the Patriot that he was presented with the idea of creating his own publication.

Run by Finn until his death, with help from his wife Cathy, the Sports Report was akin to The Little Engine that Could in the Cape sports world, running stories on anything and everything to do with local sports.

What made the little paper especially popular was that Finn was the singer of praise for all the unsung heroes involved in Cape sports.

“We tried to run every kid and every team,” said Cathy Finn. “That’s what we always told the coaches: that every child should be mentioned every season.”

She hopes in the wake of the Sports Report’s closing other area publications might be influenced by Finn’s devotion to “the underdogs.”

“Don’t forget every little kid,” she said. “The one that’s the quietest deserves as much praise as the superstar.”

At first, when Finn passed away, Cathy planned on bringing the Sports Report to a halt. Then, in April of 2007, Finn’s longtime friend Walsh stepped in and took over, becoming the editor-in-chief while Cathy remained its publisher and continued her husband’s “Frankly Speaking” column.